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Cricket: New matchfixing claims

An Indian TV station says six leading cricket umpires were exposed as willing to fix matches in exchange for cash. Photo / AP

An Indian TV station said it has exposed six leading cricket umpires willing to fix matches and provide inside information on the teams in exchange for cash payments.

Hindi-language India TV broadcast video clips in which the umpires, including a serving international umpire, faced questions from undercover reporters, asking if they would take decisions on whether a batsman was out in return for cash.

Two of the umpires come from Pakistan, three were Sri Lankan while the sixth was named as Nadir Shah of Bangladesh, who has stood in 40 one-day internationals and a number of Twenty20 internationals.

In the grainy footage, Shah is alleged to have offered to give decisions on appeals for wickets in any format of the game.

While Bangladesh Cricket Board president Mustafa Kamal promised to probe the allegations, the Press Trust of India news agency said Shah had rubbished any suggestion that he would fix any match.

"Absolutely rubbish. If I am going to fix match, I will be caught some day by the ICC... No umpire fixes matches," he told the agency.

India TV Chairman Rajat Sharma insisted the sting was authentic.

"Of course, we stand by our story because we have everything on tape and we have the proof," Sharma told AFP.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) in a statement said it has asked Sharma's India-based TV station to hand over the recordings, saying none of those at the centre of the allegations stood in the T20 World Cup which finished over the weekend.

"The ICC reiterates its zero tolerance towards corruption whether alleged against players or officials," it said.

Three Pakistani cricketers were last year jailed in Britain after being found guilty of spot-fixing. Indian bookmakers have often been accused of underhand dealings with players.